Lauren Long / The Post-StandardThe National Grid building in Syracuse.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- State regulators have decided that the public is entitled to an analysis comparing National Grid’s electric and natural gas prices to those of competing suppliers, a victory for consumer advocates over energy companies that had sought to keep the information a “trade secret.”

If today’s ruling holds, two years worth of data will become available showing whether energy service companies, or ESCOs, typically charge more or less than the traditional utility.

The Retail Energy Supply Association, which fought release of the data, has seven days to file an appeal. The information will not become publicly available until 15 days after the matter is finally resolved.

Two PSC administrative law judges, Kimberly Harriman and Rudy Stegemoeller, said release of the information will not harm ESCOs and “may contribute to the transparency of the marketplace.”

In response to a request from consumer advocates, National Grid compared the monthly bills paid by ESCO customers to the bills of customers who continue to receive electricity or gas supply from the utility. About 20 percent of residential customers buy energy from ESCOs.

The analysis does not list ESCOs by name, so consumers will not be able to compare one supplier with another. But the comparison will reveal the range of outcomes, and may show whether customers in general are likely to save money by switching to ESCO service.

Gregg Collar, a utility program analyst from New York State Department of State’s consumer protection division, has seen the data but is not allowed to make it public. In redacted testimony with the PSC, Collar said the data were “cause for concern.”

“It appears that over a two-year period a (omitted) proportion of retail access customers consistently paid (omitted) to an ESCO for commodity than they would have paid if they had remained full service customers of Niagara Mohawk,” Collar wrote. The second omitted word is "more."

The Retail Energy Supply Association, which represents some ESCOs, had sought “trade secret” status for the information, arguing that its release could put members at a competitive disadvantage. RESA also argued that National Grid, which bills customers on behalf of ESCOs, should not disclose any information gleaned from customer bills.

John Holtz, chair of New York electricity issues for RESA, said Friday the group’s members had not yet decided whether to appeal.

“Our initial read is that the judges carefully considered the confidentiality of personal customer billing information, which is what our argument was all about,” Holtz said.